


Knights of the old republic - Contract of vengeance Part 2

by KOTOR_crazy



Series: Contract of Vengance [2]
Category: Star Wars Legends: Knights of the Old Republic
Genre: Black Valkurs, Cerka, Corruption, Crime, Cryptography, Curelty, Davik Kang, Debts, Desert Recon, Escape, Gang warfare, Ghetto culture, Hate, Hidden Beks, Journey, Kindness, Love, Military, On the Run, Paramilitary, Peace, Police, Rakghouls, Sand People, Slavery, Taris, Tatooine, The Exchange, Virus, War, roller skating
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-27
Updated: 2015-12-04
Packaged: 2018-05-03 14:32:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,658
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5294897
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KOTOR_crazy/pseuds/KOTOR_crazy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The crew must deal with a clandestine foe while one of their own suffers horrific injuries that spell death.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

Dantooine 

Juhani searched her dormitory down in the sublevels. Her supplies were on her bed, including her Datapad for contacts online and for those who were planet-side. Her backpack already contained her canteen, Energy Handcuffs, a headlight torch, a few protein bars, a poncho and sunscreen.

A sleeping bag was tied onto the outside.

She checked everything that included her Lightsaber, food. She made sure she had the Two Hundred Credits that Master Dorak had given her and the crew. She contemplated taking some meditation and romance books off the shelf, but thought better of it seeing that they'd need to travel light.

Also on her bed was a plastic clip-lock case bag for her clothes, she liked this thing because she could see everything inside its transparent layer and everything was separated inside the zip compartments. It even had a Datapad slot that allowed her to rename all the electronic compartment labels.

There was one for Undergarments, Pants, shirts, robes, beauty/makeup, and even camouflaged compartments for dangerous operations that required a certain camouflage. Bastila had brought at least 10 of them cheap at stock clearance a few kilometres down at the plaza.

Carth had suggested that because there were more compartments then needed, they should camouflage some so you could identify ones needed for a particular environment quickly.

Vanesa liked this but they couldn’t find all the gear to outfit the whole crew for all environments because the Republic Military base didn’t have that much. An army surplus store however had all the Desert camouflage needed to outfit each member. They’d taken everyone’s measurements.

Mission had helped out showing off how to carefully graffiti the case compartments with the desert camouflage pattern. Bastila even filmed it so the crew could re-watch Mission’s little tutorial later. Meanwhile Vanesa had brought an order in for some forest and urban camouflage patterns which would take a few weeks to arrive. It didn’t matter for now as they were only going to Tatooine and then back to Dantooine for resupply later.

Putting on her red pants wearing a black bra Juhani put everything in her bag except her Datapad and bathroom case. She brushed her teeth, put on basic makeup, some deodorant and then checked herself in the mirror. She rested her palms on the sink and stared at herself.

 _I have to do better…_ Vanesa had already forgiven her for attacking her in the grove just over a week ago. Juhani didn’t feel she deserved it. Looking at herself now she wanted to give more than just words, and by coming on this mission, Juhani hopped she could offer real help.

She didn’t want to look at the thing on her back but something told her to. She took a deep breath at the mirror, blowing a bit of steam onto it. Slowly she turned to see a Tattoo on the lower back. She hopped somehow in the years later it would have disappeared. But the same black Orwellian barcode tattoo still lay there, etched into her, like a blade of steel.    

Juhani looked back at the Datapad on her bed for a second. She went through it’s data until she found the username address on screen.

**Chaperone12344.**

A moment later Juhani walked out of her room, fully dressed in her customary red robes, wearing her backpack. She met Belya in her room where they hugged and said goodbye. Belya had been a really good friend, maybe the only true friend out here, but she wanted to make sure of something before she got on the Ebon Hawk.

Juhani went to the Library and started one of the data terminals. She went to the _DarkContact_ network. It was well encrypted and offered good privacy fromthird parties, she used it to enter a private emailing service where only she and her contact _Chaperone123344_ knew each other’s usernames. Except perhaps for a small group of Chaperone’s most trusted friends, none in the galaxy knew she and The Chaperonewere using this site. Juhani signed into her profile.

**Consequence123344.**

There was no new messages. She found The Chaperoneeasily. Hesitatingly she didn’t want to do this, but she had to know the truth. Silently a new message was typed.

_Freya? I know its being a very long time but I must know because Taris got destroyed. Are you alive? Please, I must know!_

She sent the message to her friend. And closed down _DarkContact._ Slowly she took a deep breath, got up and went to the elevator to leave the academy. 


	2. Carrier of sin

Hatred and amusement poured down the cadaverous creature’s black heart like lava as it continued to point a device in the direction of Canderous and Juhani from under it’s dark cloak, getting closer. People around Juhani and Canderous began to have trouble listening to their loved ones on their communicators and started hanging up.

A disgruntled Rodian stomped on his communicator “SHE WAS THE ONLY ONE WHO HAD FEELINGS FOR ME!” He started crying while his Rodian brother calmed him down by othering his communicator. Silhouetted against the crowd, the creature drew closer while Juhani laughed and said something to Canderous as they began to hold hands.

The creature slowed down patiently, knowing that it had to separate one from the other and not kill them both and attract attention.

“Canderous.” Juhani laughed, “Where are you taking me?”

“Just, hold your riens, now. It’s a tall tower. We can take the elevator and photograph the areas beyond Anchorhead…”

“Is that all you want to do?” She tried being coy.

“Well, yeah sure. Venesa might want the intel, you know!”

“Ha!” Juhani nodded. “Of course.”

He looked at her for a second. “Don’t forget to wear your swim suit…”

She stopped holding his hand and gave him a head slap to which they had a laugh over. The creature now sensed this was it’s chance. His prey stopped for a second and the creature became as still as a corpse.

Canderous said “Hang on there’s the men’s room here. I’ll be back”

“Don’t forget to wear a swim suit, mando Commando.”

He grinned at her. He loved it when she did that. The moment he turned to the toilets the figure behind Juhani began to etch closer to her and reached out a burnt black arm to touch.

Juhani felt the hideous touch and felt a flicker like electricity until the atoms within her exploded into a new consciousness.  

Juhani saw that the whole city had become deserted. Like no one had ever lived here. A vast void of emptiness had entered the uninhabited streets. She suddenly had an urge to go turn around and walk away, quickly. She did so. She could still feel the touch on her shoulder but she couldn’t see anyone around her.

She tried to touch her shoulder but just thinking about it filled her with a horrifying pain that swept through her viens. The more she tried to struggle the more painful it became. No it felt better to just keep walking. It felt so nice as the pain started to loosen it’s hurt on her. She was walking down to the Ebon Hawk hanger and suddenly for an unexplainable reason she turned into an archway and went left into a wodden electronic hexagonal door.

She heard the rattling of data door keys. The sound was right behind her. Juhani couldn’t believe how close it was, but she couldn’t see anything! She could feel that touch shift a bit and the rattle was suddenly in front of her as the door pad was scanning an invisible force.

The door opened to reveal chair before her with iron chains and arm-rest cuffs. There was dried blood over it.

Hesitantly Juhani tried to yell for backup but it hurt so much just to even think about it. It was so painful, like being stabbed again and again. Reluctantly she walked into the room. The touch shifted a bit on her and the door behind her closed. She was in almost pitch black darkness with nothing but the chair and the invisible touch on her shoulder.

She felt another touch patting her down. She felt her breasts being groped and the privates of her pelvic region being patted. Every part of her singlet and pocket got patted down by the unseen touch, finally it seeped into the pocket of her shorts and pulled out a Lightsaber. It was put slowly onto a rack.

There was a moment of silence while Juhani felt the touch as still as death. The chair stood before her. She knew what was going to happen. She slowly emptied her thoughts and calmed the heart beating so hard it could burst out of her chest. This wasn’t a time to anger her torturer, but rather find some way to get through to him and influence the situation before it influenced her.

To overcome him, his prey would have to use one of the 2 methods:

  *          Either feigned innocence.



or

  *          Goad him into showing real strength.



She was going to feign innocence of the mission.

The touch shifted as an invisible inhuman voice in her ear asked, “ _Why are you here?_ ”

Juhani hopped the others were out there, somewhere. She felt a horrific stabbing pain throughout her whole body. “Please,” she whispered, “I’m just a student. I went to meet my boyfriend!”

_“Are there more of you?”_

“Just me and a man, the Order doesn’t even know I’m here. PLEASE!” It was no use lying. But giving up information could get the crew tortured or killed. Especially as she was going to die anyway. Other than pain, she had nothing else to lose.

_“What are your goals? Tell!”_

The pain grew like a cancerous tumour. Her pelvis swelled, like a child blowing up a paper bag. And then it just stopped and stayed in a hideous bulge. It was burning horribly like white hot fire.

_There is no emotion, there is peace… There is no emotion, there is peace._ She obediently walked and from inside her pelvis, it was screaming.

_“You have ship, yes?”_

Her hips disobeyed her and turned to sit in the torture chair, suddenly she realized, with the snap of a synapse gate, she wasn’t afraid to die. She was Cather. If the Mandolorians hadn’t invaded she’d have become already a great warrior in the blood hunts of the Kiltik. Suddenly she realized this had been her dream all along, to die a warrior. It was the whole reason she became a Jedi Guardian. She only had one wish.

She mumbled something. The invisible voice asked as she was sat down in the torture chair. _“What will you offer me?”_

She mumbled a bit more.

_“Speak, you freak…”_ it hissed _“Speak!”_

“…fight…” she mumbled.

The darkness behind her gave a guttural sigh, like a Trandoshan.

“…fight…me…like a… Jedi.”

For a moment it didn’t say anything. She knew there was a chance it could oblige. She wasn’t going to pass survival up just because she was warrior. If there was an opening in life you had to take it with all paws. Juhani had been taught this as a young girl by......

Just then there was a loud knock at the door.

_“BE GONE!”_

The knock banged even harder. Pain directed her as she strode over to the door obediently. From behind the door a noise came and then it suddenly turned into a loud primal roar as the wooden door smashed into splinters. She and the dark Jedi were thrown back.

The Mandolorian had emerged in the dusty doorway. Juhani could feel the Dark Jedi on her back and was shoved out of the way by Canderous as he planted his fist into the Dark Jedi’s mouth, knocking him in the jaw three times until a tooth came out.

Then a charcoal hand stopped him and the force threw him back against the wall. Juhani’s pelvis hurt horribly as she retrieved her Lightsaber and ignited it. The Dark Jedi ignited his weapon with feral eyes staring her down. He lunged and slashed while she upper swiped his attack before the Dark Jedi dashed back and then lunged forward, striking his weapon too, vertically.

Juhani dashed back with him and their Lightsabres clashed as Juhani’s weapon struggled under the weight of his, grinding into a frantic, twisted dance of death. But Juhani was stronger. With all her strength she sent him tumbling back. She then caught her breath and assumed the Makashi stance.

Quickly she jabbed him from the left and lightly swiped him from the right as he struggled to keep up. She feinted a quick swipe from the left again before quickly motioning the weapon over his head and with a desperate roar as she brought his full fate down upon him.

And his life was taken. It was her first blood. The first person she’d ever killed. The Dark Jedi used to be someone else.

 

 

Before it turned into a creature it had been a man who’d failed his Jedi training and had fathered a son who was drafted and lost to the Mandalorian Wars.

When he received the knock on the door from the military officers, he’d felt himself surrender to hatred and fear. He beat his wife in anger because of how she’d let their son go to war so easily. She survived his beating but his own violence had scared him and so he ran away into the centre of his town, and then set himself on fire. He loved his wife, but he loved his son more.

His hatred proved too strong for self-immolation asthe flames on his charcoal body swept through the town, bathing its inhabitants in a sea of fire. No one survived. When the last ashes fell, all that was left had being a strange blackly creature hunched down in the fire’s wake. A sole survivor of the flames, forever hating and fearing itself.

 

 

And now by the letting of it’s blood, it’s family tree was finality… forever finished and shut in the book of life, never to reopen. Juhani had felt all this flash through the force.

_I’m not afraid to kill, Canderous. I-just-don’t want to make it personal._

_You’re trained not to make it personal… but, when our lives are in danger-_

_I won’t hesitate. I promise._

_I won’t hesitate. I promise._

_I won’t hesitate. I promise._

The words echoed on in her while her pelvis burned more and more.

“Juhani!” Canderous cradled her before she could collapse. “What happened to you!”

“Ch- che-” She moaned painfully, stuttering. “Check… pelvis.”

He pulled her underwear done carefully. “…Oh my god!” Her pelvis was badly swollen. “Hang on girl, I’m checking you. You did well. Yeah….”

He touched her pelvis and Juhani cried out as yellow pus flew out excitedly, hitting him in the face. It was the most terrifying thing he ever saw.

Back at the market, as soon as the Dark Jedi had turned the jamming device away from him he’d heard Vanesa’s destress call and followed Juhani’s torturer. He’d had the commlink off this whole time until now.

“This is Conquest Four Eight! MEDIC!”

_“This is Beta Four Three,”_ Bastilaresponded _“Where are you! Where’s Juhani!? A Dark Jedi may be after you, over.”_

“I know, Juhani just killed it. Uh…” He looked round. “We- We’re under an arch to the left of the Ebon Hawk! I kicked adoor down, OVER!”

Zaalbarcameonline worried judging by the tone of his Shyriiwook, _“Zabrack here, how hurt is she, Conquest?”_

“HER PELVIS IS FILLED WITH PUS! I’M NOT JOKING!!!”

“ _Stay calm, Conquest.”_ Bastila cautioned. _“Me and Charile Four Four are coming to get you, we’ll carry Juhani back. Zabrack, you and Mike get back to the ship and ready the med bay stat, over!”_

_“Affirmati……”_ Zaalbar responded through some static. _“On … now, out.”_

 

 

Mission had always been faster than her friend as she bolted through the hanger. The Ebon Hawk lay there. They wasn’t that much security today. The ship’s loading ramp lowered it’s self, Mission and Zaalbar just ran in and Mission looked around once inside. “Vanesa! Vanesa!?”

“Back here,” a voice called from the maw of the cargo bay. Mission bolted to it with Zaalbar following behind. “I think I just found your food thief, Zaalbar!” The voice laughed.

 

 

It was less than a minute before he heard the voice of a familiar plain clothes republic solider outside. “Canderous!? Where are you?!”

“IN HERE, WE’RE CLEAR!”

Carth pointed his blaster pistol in front and looked around as he crept through the door. “Clear, Bastila!”

Bastila came in immediately. “You hurt, Canderous.”

“No.”

Bastila looked at the corpse. “He was probably a scout. Is he dead?”

Canderous nodded as she bent down and examined Juhani’s puss filled injury. “She’s unconcise.” She winced at the injury, “May need some anti-biotics. We may have to drain the puss too, do you know what happened to her?”

Carth put his sun visor on, and kept watch, holstering his weapon.

“I don’t know. That scumbag sith,” Canderous pointed to the body “He did something to her!”

Bastila’s hair shook as she looked at the dead body, then back to Canderous, “Did your bodies come into contact?”

“Yeah.” He frowned.

“Do you or Juhani have a criminal history?”

“What has that got to …” Suddenly he sighed, realizing what Bastila was getting at. “The Taris police had my biometrics. For common assault, threats, extor-

Carth interrupted “The rest isn’t important, man.”

“He’s right, Canderous. It’s DNA we’re worried about.” Bastila looked him in the eyes “Cerka may not have access to the crime databases - but they can still upload your DNA to the Intergalactic Police. Just one IP agent could _accidently_ leak your identity to Cerka. It would be natural for Cerka to then pass that on to Malak.”

Canderous got up, hands over his head, pacing to a corner while Bastila looked at the corpse. “There is a way out of this.” She gulped. “I can… obliterate his body with my Lightsaber.”

Canderous turned to her slowly for a minute. And then he shook his head. “No. No,” he stared at her.

Bastila sighed miserably. She was too young to do this and Canderous knew it. He now realized how necessary it was to be here. How easy it was for him to do the dirty and horrible things that no one else wanted to do. His time on Taris had taught him that it was sometimes the only way he could survive.

“I can do it.” Canderous pointed at the body “His Lightsaber is still there. I’ll use that.”

Carth looked back at him and bit his lip before looking away quickly.

Bastila looked up at Canderous too, “You don’t have to do this. You know?”

“Better me then you,” he said unblinkingly. “I have to finish what Juhani started. Can you use the force to heal her?”

“I can try.”

“Then you guys can carry her back.” He picked up the Lightsaber “I got this.”

Bastila pulled up Juhani’s shorts and put an arm around the Cathar’s right shoulder “Carth, give me a hand.” Together they carried her out onto the street, leaving Canderous standing over the body, his black silhouette dominating the light of the doorway.

 

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

 

In the cargo hold Mission sat on her side, resting on an elbow, she asked their little intruder, “So why did you come on board?” She smiled.

A little girl shrugged at her. She was still frightened.

“How old are you, kid?”

She embarrassedly shrugged her shoulders again. Obviously she didn’t understand.

“Where you from?”

“Uh?” Same response as before. Girl was like a rock.

Mission had a thought “Are you from Taris?”

The girl hesitated a bit, like she’d heard that word before.

“Taris? You Taris?” Mission pointed at her. “From Taris. You from Taris?”

“Me, Taris?” She squinted at the thought, “Na, me na Taris.” She shook her head.

Misison frowned, “What? No, no, no. I don’t mean” she slapped her head, and motioned her hands at her, “I didn’t mean your name is Taris, I mean, I mean… yoba, na from Trais. Are you not from Taris?” Mission tried to think of some familiar places, “Yoba, from, Tatooine, Coursant, uh… Correllia maybe, maybe.” she nodded to herself, “Yoba from Nal Hutta, Yavin IV, Kesse-

“Dantooine.” The girl interrupted. “Me ff…” She had trouble with f. “f-f f…from Dantooine.”     

“Ahh.” Mission nodded with relief. “That’s very good.” There was hope of finding her family on Dantooine.

Vanesa walked in with her boots on with singlet and black pants. “How are you going ladies?”

Mission turned, “She’s from Dantooine.”

“That’s a good start. Do you know what language she’s speaking?”

“No idea.”

Vanesa sat down on one knee beside Mission and looked at the girl pointing at herself. “I’m Vanesa.” She pointed at her Twi'elk friend, “This is Mission Vao.”

The girl nodded.

Vanesa pointed at her. “Err, you are?”

She pointed to herself “Waaba soona Shasha!”

Vanesa and Mission looked at each other before looking back at the girl. Vanesa made sure, pointing at her. “You’re... Shasha?”

“Me Shasha!” Shasha nodded.

“I’ve heard that name before.” Vanesa spoke to herself.

“Where?” Mission asked.

“Not sure. Maybe…” There was the yelling of a man and woman down the hallway.

“SHE’S BLEEDING PUSS!!” Carth roared.

Shasha pulled back suddenly very frightened. Her chest heaving up and down. “Na. Na abds! Na adbs!”

“SOMEONE GET A BOWL!” Bastila yelled.

Vanesa got up and put a hand on Mission’s shoulder. “Stay with the girl! Calm her down.” She left hearing Mission trying to calm Shasha.

Bastila ran up to Vanesa while Carth followed behind carrying Juhani slumped in his arms. “Is the med bay ready?” Bastila’s makeup was filled with sweat as Vanesa nodded and showed her.

When they came in, Zaalbar’s entire fur was netted with some special medical screen designed especially for him with a face mask and head cap. He was wearing blue gloves and carrying a bowl. Bastila quickly went past and washed her hands and sweat off at the Main Hold kitchen tap before going down to the port dorms to dress in medical clothes. Carth came in and settled Juhani’s unconcise figure on the medical bed.

Zaalbar asked Carth “ _Grraaw_ , She’s bleeding at the pelvic region?”

“Yeah” he wiped sweat off his forehead. It was hot out there.

The Wookiee pulled her pants down and examined the injury. He was actually 1 and a half years out from getting a bachelor in Medicine from the Southern Dantooine University.

He’d already spent time online for the degree for the past 3 years while on Taris but couldn’t continue as you had to have at least one year and a half of hands on research. Meaning you’d have to rent a house on Dantooine.

In the last 3 months he’d seen many interesting things there in the University morgue on the upper floors. The dead there had kindly donated themselves to research so he could appreciate the actual anatomy of many species. He became particularly interested in his own.

The medical professor had actually shown everyone the effects of Tarisian Alcohol. Zaalbar had only drunken the stuff once, spitting it out. Mission got the hangover from hell trying it once.

The medical students Zaalbar was with had been shown a Rodian’s body who had an unusual mutation of the gene for the enzyme that affected aldehyde dehydrogenase.

**(** **al-de-hyde, de-hy-dro-gen-ase** **)**

It was what helped break down the Tarisian ale. Sadly, that protective gene was non-existent amongst Wookiees and Twi'elks. Most Tarisians who developed that protective gene through centuries of drinking made them less susceptible to it than offworlders, but it could still affect them.

The professor had shown the liver of a Human speeder crash patient who’d never drunken Tarisian Ale. And then they were shown a human patient’s liver who’d died from Tarisian alcohol poisoning.

The speeder crash victim had a clean pink liver while the other’s was rotten and lumpy. Zaalbar had seen the effects of Tarisian Ale first hand in the lower city. It was much stronger than Juma Juice or Sullustan Wine, making a lot of off-worlders loads more violent than the humans in the Upper City. It was like drinking illegally brewed ale.

When exported, the Tarisian Ale was so bad that it led to a riot between two hockey teams on Correllia with a school being burned down and a police station lotted before it too was set on fire by a police brutality victim who’d steered the riot to the police station. The Correllian government was forced to ban its consumption afterwards.

But Zaalbar had never seen anything like this. Juhani moaned a bit as he squeezed some of the yellow greenish puss out over the bowl. Then she started to struggle a bit more violently, the more he did it. “She’s going into shock.” Zaalbar said quietly. “Carth, Vanesa, hold her arms down please while a find a vein.”

They held her down while Zaalbar injected a sedative it into her arm, then gave the vain a few flicks to disperse the sedative. It wasn’t long before Juhani’s eyes flickered a bit and then closed slowly.

“Can you fix this?” Vanesa asked Zaalbar.

“I can’t be certain. I’ve done _some_ surgery, but not to this extent. I’ll require assistance.”

“Bastila is coming soon.” (Bastila had a Certificate IV in Nursing years ago at the Jedi Enclave.)

“That, may not be enough. I may require…” his hairy eyes examined Vanesa, “external advisement.”

“Who do you want me to contact?”

“Gerald. Professor Gerald Sudak of the Southern Dantooine University.”

“Has he dealt with injuries sustained by a dark Jedi before?”

Zaalbar nodded. “Yes. I’ll need to undress her and check for any abnormalities. Then I’ll start an Ultra Sound so I can confirm that the injury is indeed force related. Professor Sudak may need the optics to see what we’re doing. But first, Bastila and I would like some privacy.”

“Ok. Carth, let’s give him some space.” They left him to it and Bastila strode past them in medical gear and facemask. She went in and sealed the medical bay door behind them.

Without saying anything to each other Bastila and Zaalbar gently undressed the patient. And then they attached the sensors to monitor her life signs. There was a steady continuous beep. Her life signs were good for now. Zaalbar examined Juhani with a torch while Bastila then got a medical gown. She stood at a distance until Zaalbar was finished with his examination. “Hmm.” Zaalbar squinted at her back. “You see that, nurse.”

Bastila frowned slightly and saw the barcode tattoo. “Yes. It can’t be related to that sith scout. It looks too old. It’s awful though.”

“Yes. It doesn’t matter for now. There’s no abnormalities I can see, other than on her pelvis. Gown.”

She put the med gown on Juhani while Zaalbar held the Cathar up a bit.

“Ok, Ultrasound scanner, please.”

Deep inside the cannons of her mind, Juhani felt the past seeping into the present.


	3. Unkown forces

Taris: 14 years ago

It was 00:40 Tarisian standard time at the office of Biocare Laboratories. There wasn’t much light around the outdoor lobbies but there was a strong security presence outside. At least 5 private _Durasteel Security_ guards were outside with another 5 inside the complex. The ones on the outside mostly carried fluoride spray and Bothan Stun batons. The ones inside carried auto-repeater blaster pistols.  It was nice and secure tonight.

One of the guards who’s name tag read Samuel Pearce was working part time tonight while studying to become a star ship pilot for a postal company based on Alderun. He was on his personal communicator to his wife.

“Just 1 month out… Yeah, my instructor gave me reference… Yep he says I’m that good… Ha! Yeah it’s incredible how fast we can get from one system to another...  Didn’t think I’d make it that far, so I guess I’ve got you to thank… bedroom intruder.” He laughed. “Thanks, baby.” There was suddenly a noise in the darkness. “Something’s up. I’ll call you back!”

Samuel stared off into the unlighted area and reached for his torch. He cursed because he’d left it at the armoury room so Samuel called out “This is private property. Identify yourself.”

There was no response. But something began to come out. Samuel’s eyes widened as four black clad heavily armed individuals walked up to him calmly with silenced sub repeating blasters lowered. They were all walking briskly so he reached for his company issue communicator to send an alert. He was grabbed from behind and something sharp went against his throat. Lights got shot out above as he was plunged into darkness.

A radioed voice from under a helmet asked him “ _Are you Religious, Samuel?_ ”

“Uh- well. Y- yes.” Samuel’s sentence was carried out as the knife kissed his throat. He collapsed chocking as the group were animated with a new directive, paying no attention to him. They all filtered past him quickly, their footfalls echoing.

_“Goodd killll.”_ Samuel heard a different radio voice echoing through him as he chocked. Silhouetted against the light up ahead, they shot more lights out above them.

_“Tttthhhaannnkkkssss.”_ His killer’s voice slowed down, _“Itttttttt wasssssss aaaaa puuussssyyy.”_

Eventually the killer’s words slowed all the way to a halt as Samuel died.

 

From inside the complex Doctor Ahmed Patel was studying a thin vail with keen dark eyes. He’d been balding around 40 but was clued up about implants and was eventually able to recover from his hair loss as he sported hair that looked more like he was still in his 30s. _So close. So close._ A silhouette approached behind him and etched into his office. There was moment of silence before a voice filled the room.

“Doctor?”

Ahmed was startled, “Oh. It’s you Gerald!” he examined the young talented Botan. He had slim features and like most of his kind, he was bearded with a blond beard. Behind his spectacles he had light red natural irises on his eyes and the look of a lion with blond fur. “Thought you’d have left hours ago, boy.”

“Yes” the Botan replied. “But… the traffic reports aren’t good on the highways. I was going to make a coffee. You want one sir?”

“Why not.” Ahmed shrugged. “How about a Nal Hutta Mocha, please.”

“Ok, sure.” The Botan nodded and went to the Cafeteria. As the wheel of time creaked, he came back later with 2 Nal Hutta Mochas.

“Thanks boy. Why don’t you sit down? Yes?”

The Botan smiled at him and took a seat across from him. The Doctor put the sample away and locked it in the cold freezer safe.

“Are we that close, Sir?” Gerald asked.

The Doctor grinned and showed him the width between his fingers. “ _This_ close!” It was the width of a centimetre. “At least two Sand Panthers were injected with the disease and then given Sample A, ten minutes after they stared to succumb to the disease. They survived.”

“And that Rodian guard we shipped Sample A to at the Undercity.”

“Yes.” Ahmed said sadly. “If only he was human. Than the media would been more inclined to report his survival. ARGGH!” He banged the table and hurt his hand. “Ahh, sorry I shouldn’t do that.”

“I feel sorrier for your hand then the table.”

“Ha!” Ahmed shook his hand and blew it a bit.

“Now we just have to find human volunteers!”

“Yes my boy.” He sat down with him and took a sip of the lovely Mocha. “Ahhhh. Could you put on perhaps a recording of Mondos’s Huttese opera? Track number IV, _Kwee-Kunee_ please.”

“Yes Sir.” 

Mondo the Hutt’s rich and powerful voice eventually bathed the room with a serenity that filled Ahmed’s frame. “Ah, beauty.” He lay back enjoying his coffee.  

In the beginning years, Gerald would roll his eyes every time he heard Mondo the Hutt singing in the operating theatre where Ahmed and he treated various diseased patients under sedation at the Empress Teta Mid City Hospital.

But now after seeing all the gang violence on the news and the Alcohol abuse fights, he’d felt a sense of transcendence. A person above general savagery. He tried not to get arrogant about it as he realized just how lucky he was to have the opportunities on Alderaan that people in Taris’s lower city didn’t have. Particularly the non-humans.

Twi’leks on the other hand sometime got away with a lot more. Particularly the female ones who were able to get Scholarships and simply dance in the upper city cantinas to earn the wage to pay for rent. Having a nice body could really get you a lot on Taris.

But lately it had become more dangerous as rape and underage slavery had gone up.

It all gave Gerald a larger sense of purpose in the world. They were going to be pioneers in ridding Taris of the Rakghoul disease forever! And better yet, they were going to slash the cost so customers in the lower city were always able to afford medicine to treat the condition. But there were other reasons for coming to Ahmed’s office tonight. Gerald took a sip of the coffee and wiped his beard in case it got frothed. He was thinking carefully.

But Ahmed was simply smiling at him over Mondo’s performance. “Did I ever tell you this recording is over 500 years old? No I didn’t think so. You want to get something off your mind, yes?”

“Yeah. Umm, look, Doctor Patel… I worry about you.” Gerald looked anxious “I worry about the sample too. How long has it been since you were attacked?”

“2 months.”

“That’s being at least 2 attempts on your life.”

“I know.” He sighed, “you want me to give it to the Republic, don’t you?”

“Not really. Hell,” Gerald shuddered at the thought, “I don’t want medicine to get politicized. That’s where the doctor’s oath becomes, so sleazy.”

Ahmed leaned back and laughed over Modos’s illustrious piece. “But part of you wants the Republic to have it.” He nodded at him with a smile, “You’ve still got Alderaan inside you. Perfectly natural.”

“At first, yes I just wanted the Republic to have it. But now, Sir,” Gerald leaned and his spectacles glistened. “What if we make the data public?”

“My boy, this is a company. I don’t want to be callous but if we make the research public, our company won’t survive, our employees won’t survive.”

“Ok. Look I know we can’t just all get a copy of the research, but I’m thinking… maybe we should make a few backups?”

“We have.”

“Yes but only you know where they exist. No one else.”

“How do you know I did that, Gerald. They could be with someone else right now.”

“Because you would have told me! I’m you’re most trusted assistant!” Gerald brought his head down and breathed a sigh through his nose. “What about her?”

Ahmed frowned. “Who? Meetra?”

“Yes! She saved your life more than once. she’s a Jedi for crying out loud, Sir.”

Ahmed didn’t say anything.

“Don’t you see it, Sir. Something bad is going to happen, and I won’t be able to protect you. And if you do… if you…” he hesitated.

“If I do die?” Ahmed finished for him.

“If you die… May the force forbid it, then you’ll be the only one who knows where the back-ups are. And if I know the way you think I’d wager you have them on an encrypted server somewhere.”

“You’re right…”

“…One where none would think to look, some unmarked account or something? Don’t you see that’s worse than it ending up in Davik’s hands?!”

“You’re saying that the secret could die with me.” Ahmed frowned. “Don’t worry. It’ll be ok.”

“Don’t you see it! All those victims we saw?! All the ones who donated themselves for research!? THEY WILL HAVE DIED FOR NOTHING! Death without meaning, Patel! How do you live with it? How can it be justified!?”

“There’s a reason I’m not letting you have a backup.”

Gerald rolled his eyes at him infuriatingly.

“You’re young. Only 18. I lived my whole life on Taris. You don’t know these gangs like I do. Where you see a life being taken, they see only a number. And those numbers are growing. You’re the only friend I have out here and I don’t want you to be a statistic.” He gulped. And got up. “When you came to Taris, Gerald, your mother wanted me to keep you away from danger. I’ve honoured that agreement so far.”

He walked up to his assistant and put an arm on his shoulder. “But if I were to give you the data now, I won’t be able to protect you from Organised Crime.”

He took his arm off Gerald and sat down next to him.

“Ok.” Gerald sighed. “Can you at least tell me, if the data is with more than one person.”

“Gerald…”

“Please!” he breathed at Ahmed, “you have no idea what it’s like Doctor, I don’t sleep well anymore.”

The doctor examined him thoughtfully, thinking.

The Bothan leaned forward, whispering “Is it with more than one person, Doctor? Please!”

Ahmed looked around him carefully and checked under the table to make sure they won’t being bugged. Then he slowly looked up at Gerald and beckoned him closer. He whispered something in his ear to which Gerald gasped at him and got up. “O. I…uh..” He felt his pocket. “I- I think I forgot my Speeder keys. I left them in my office but it’s locked.”

“See security on your way out. They’ll let you in, Gerald.”

“Ok. Bye.”

“Bye Gerald.”

It was a moment when he left that Ahmed thought as he lay back to Mondo’s singing. _Have I made the right choice? Will the information endanger him?_

Just then Mondo’s voice stopped in climax abruptly as all the lights turned to darkness. Ahmed became really scared. He felt around in the pitch black hearing a guard on a floor below him.

“Samuel? John? Mellissa? This is Verick, do you copy? Hello?! Hello? Jackson?”

“ _It’s Jackson._ ” A radio voice crackled. _“Verick, join me at the power room. I can’t turn on the alarms.”_

_Gerald!_ The doctor’s eye’s widened.

“VERICK, WE’RE UNDER ATTACK! Get Gerald to safety! He’s on my floor!”

“Yes sir. The guard below called out. Ahmed heard running and then another guard’s voice on a lower floor yelled out “FREEZE!” Some muffled sounds on that lower floor hit something, maybe the wall and the same guard roared as he returned fire below.

_“Take cover.”_ he heard a radio say nearby.

There was an empty click, and the man swore, suddenly there were more muffled shots and a chocking sound. He was certainly dead. Or close.

Ahmed’s heart was pounding. The room started to swim as he got out the communicator. He couldn’t see the buttons in the dark so he felt around his desk so he could get at the draws. He yanked one open and could feel his music player in his palm which he switched on. A green screen appeared with some different coloured touch screen icons, giving him the light he needed.    

He used the light to call the Taris Civil Authority. “Hello!?”

_“TCA. What is the nature of your emergency, please?”_

Ahmed was panting. “I’m Ahmed Patel, at Biocare Laboratories, 83 Medical Road. The building is being raided! Help us!”

_“Please lock and barricade the room you’re in Mr Patel.”_

Ahmed used the light to find the plasteel table and pushed it against the closed doorway.

_“Can you Identify your attackers, Sir? Help is coming.”_

Heavy Footsteps and the sound of heavy gear was approaching.

“I- I Don’t know, they’ve cut the power. They’re killing the guards! I think they’re...

A muffled shot came through glass as the communicator was shot out of his hand. Ahmed hid behind his office desk while the table was shoved out of the door way. He’d been in a fight before at 16.

The only reason he survived the group attacking him was because he’d knocked the drug addict with his metal drinking flask, and threw him into his friends, giving him time to run away.

He knew there was no running away now. The desk was pushed out and heavy geared footsteps ran in.  In the darkness he was swiftly surrounded, cold metal assault weapons were cocked near his head. He couldn’t believe how fast they’d entered!

A deep gravelly radio voice near him said “ _The code to the safe - give it to us, Doctor Patel._ ”

“You’re all wearing night vision?! You like to hide from civilians, huh?”

_“Are you religious?”_ Another radiovoice asked very close to him. It was the same voice that killed Samuel.

“I won’t give you the code, filthy mongrel. You won’t be able to extract it from me in time now!”

_“We’re strong enough to transport the safe. Plan B!”_ The gravelly voice ordered.

Ahmed heard a shot and a net was propelled over him as he was rolled up tightly by tough, invisible gloved-hands. He tried to fight futilely as a sea of evil collectively warped him into a soft cocoon.


	4. The Exchange

01:02 Mid City

**Playback initializing…**

(Communicator rings)

(Yawning) _“Hello?”_

_“Hello Freya, sorry for waking you… it’s Forn Dodonna.”_

_“General? Look, I can’t keep doing this. I’m on good behaviour bond. I could go to jail just for talking with you.”_

_“TCA asked for you personally. Did you feel a disturbance just now?”_

_“Y- yes Ma’mm. Perhaps… 15 minutes ago? I went back to bed, sort of.”_

_“What did you feel? Please tell me.”_

_“Um… death. More death than usual. And then just, silence.”_

_“This was around quarter past Twelfth?”_

_“Yes… Ma’mm. Wait, you know I felt a disturbance just now? What’s going on?”_

_“Biocare had an insurgency of some kind around that time…  whoever they are, they may have taken the sample.”_

_“........”_

_“Freya?”_

_“How can that even happen, that place is under 24/7 security! W- What happened to Ahmed, or Gerald?”_

_“TCA are too terrified to enter Biocare. They’ve set up an inner and outer containment zone with Fire Rescue, and Ambulance. They don’t know who’s alive or who’s involved. Their tactical team would like you to accompany them Freya.”_

_“But they took me to court, Ma’mm!”_

_“I know that. This is a good opportunity to mend relations with TCA and potentially quash your conviction. Freya, you are an advisor. You helped train these constables. Most of them will still look up to you. Have you noticed the 50 percent drop in shootings by police recently on the news?”_

(Sigh) “ _Yes Ma’mm.”_

_“Noticed the 30 percent drop in false or racially profiled charges?”_

_“Yes.”_

_“Now, the best way of finding out who’s attacking Biocare is to continue your investigation into the other attempts made on Ahmed’s life. There may be a pattern."_

_“Bloody TCA. No wonder people call them Gameroeans!”_

_“I understand you’re upset. But this may work out for you later. A TCA patrol speeder will transport you to the scene shortly. Pack what you need tonight and ready yourself young lady! Be careful, Freya.”_

**Playback terminated.**  

 

 

 

 

****

 

Empress Teta Mid City Hospital.

Juhani sat on the chair, staring into the ground. She looked at her mother and shuddered a bit. Her mother still hadn’t moved an inch. Life signs were stable. But the Doctors had already told Juhani the truth. And the truth made her little body very, very frightened. At the age of 11, it could be really hard. Especially if you were a Cathar and a female on the city of Taris.

She stared off at her mother wearing the usual ragged clothes they’d washed 2 days ago. Juhani was wearing the same. There were holes poking through. The nurses had allowed Juhani to shower. It was really hard for her to step in. She didn’t her to die alone. But the nurses wanted her to have good hygiene while around her sick mother. They said it would help keep her spirts up.

Juhani didn’t feel they were any real spirts in her. She really wanted to feel something else. But it was very difficult. Sometimes her mother told her stories about the Cather legends and at times Juhani would dream about them. The Tall city trees, their hollowed arties breathing with people the music, the wall panting and murals of old warriors. Juhani nodded at the thought of it.

_It would be so cool_

Her eyes started to wonder as she thought of how cosy it would be too live in one of those instead of on the streets of all these urban sky scrapers. Juhani looked at her mother for a moment anxiously. Then she shifted her chair forward and held her mother’s hand that was resting on the bed. She knew for sure she wasn’t going to leave her. The nurses had been nice. They wanted to come down and talk with her and get her away from her mother so as to engage her in other activities.

But Juhani was stubborn and no one could convince her.

The sky out the window was starting to rain, water slipped down the glass in miniature deluges.

Now at her bed Juhani realized if she wanted mum to ever her last words, it would be now.

“I wished you never had me mama. I’m sorry.” She lowered her head bitting her lips. “I… I just want to let you know something…” she whispered, “I won’t… stop… fighting. I’ll do everything I can to get you better. I’ll work in the bars, clean the toilets, anything. Anything.” A tear fell down a cheek and she wiped it away. “Just.”

She gulped.

“Please… don’t die.” She sobbed on her chest “Please don’t! I- I don’t know what to do.” She got up “Should I run away? You said you took out debts from the gangs.”

“Should I run?

“Is it a bad idea?”

“Will I get hurt?”

“Would…”

She felt her mother’s hand move. “Oh my god!” Juhani jumped. She put her ear close to her mother’s mum “Say something?”

Her mother lips started to move “Ju- Ju-hani…”

“What.” There were more tears “Do- do you want some water?”

“R- r” her heart rate monitor noises were increasing.

“Help! NURSE!” Juhani called.

“R- r-un, don’t… w-orry about- me.”

“You! Don’tworryaboutyou! Ok alight I.. I’ll go!”

Her mother brushed her hand shakily away as the plasteel door opened with a sea of nurses and doctors entering. Juhani turned seeing her mother alive for the last time and walked out briskly past the sea of coats. It was so hard to do that. To just look away. As she got out she started going faster.

“Stop!”

She started to run and they caught her, blocking her from behind and in front. One Trandoshan and one big black human male. Their shadows both dominated her as they were really close.

“You deaf, dummy.” The black man asked.

Juhani looked down ashamed.

“Mummy?” the Trandoshan’s guttural voice behind her asked “What happen to mummy, child?”

“Is she dead yet?”

“N- no she’s ok, for now. She got a shock.”

The big black man bent down and yanked her chin so hard she could feel his fingers digging down into her cheek bones. “Lying to the Exchange can be hazardous to your mum’s kidneys.”

Juhani gasped.

“They fetch good sum.” The Trandoshan explained.

 “Now,” the black guy put a finger in front. “Get back there. Let’s hope she can pay off the debts, yeah. Remember, we’re the only reason your mum can afford health care.”

Juhani nodded very quickly while his shadow continued to dominate her figure. She turned slowly and walked the other way. She felt something like a hard kick behind or a punch to buttocks. She fell over and cried out in pain massaging her bum and groaned “Ow! Oohaa…”

The black man warned her, “It’s going to hurt so much more next time if you run away from me again, you little Cathar harlot.”

She got up and walked, limping a bit and saw the hospital staff work out of her mother’s room. She cupped her hands to her chest as the male doctor saw her, “Juhani I’m…” he looked at the 2 men behind her. Juhani knew he’d done the math and figured these men won’t her actual guardians. “Can you two leave for a second please. It’s important.”

The Trandoshan asked “Is Juhani’s mother dead, doctor?”

“That’s confidential. Please.” He gestured.

The black man opened his coat and showed his blaster pistol. “You going to hurry up doctor. And tell us. This kid’s got places to be.”

The doctor gasped in fright. “What thuggery.” He turned to Juhani. “Juhani… I’m so sorry she didn’t survive…”

She just stared at the floor. As the black man started to approach her from behind, her fist clenched hard and started to turn red.

“We did everything we could. We didn’t just pull the…”

For a moment she forgot about the pain from where she was hit, as she turned and her little elbow knocked the black man in the scrotom. He collapsed in pain, shielding himself as this girl 4 times less his size started punching him in softpart of his neck making him choke.

The Trandoshan cooked a blaster pistol at her head. “ENOUGH!”

The Black man looked at her in fear stumbling back.

The lizard aimed the weapon at the doctor. “Treat him, now! Or I treat you family.”

“Ok, don’t shot.” The doctor panicked and helped the black guy up who was starting to cry.

_Geezes. What a big baby._ Juhani shook her head at him. The Trandoshan called after her. “COME!”

She looked at the lizard man with full fury.

“Ahh, you want to end up like mummy?” The Lizard smiled at her with sharp teeth. “But I know mummys. Mummy don’t want you end up like her. Come now.” He gestured with the gun still in his sharp claws, showing her into an empty hospital room.

“Sit down, child.”

Juhani sat into the only empty seat in the room. The Trandoshan put the gun away. “You luck you with me, now. Luck you not with Luke. Black man? He want kill you later. But you special. Anyway, because mum is… you know. She can’t pay debt. You pay off for her. That was agreement. But not with you getting job.” The Trandoshan sighed.

Her mum was dead and Juhani wouldn’t even be able to bury or cremated now, she knew it. “What happens to me.” Her young exhausted voice asked quietly. She didn’t even want to look at it. The disgusting opportunistic lizard-man.

The freak leaned against a wall. “You belong to Davik now. To Exchange. You slave, unfortunately. You get taken to camp now. You don’t get hurt by us. You precious to us. Cathar slave very rare merchandise. Especially after Mando massacre on Cathar planet. Cathar very rare now. Luke too stupid. Boss may have to kick him out of Exchange. Kill him?” he shrugged. “I don’t know.”

“Kill him.”

“Ha! I don’t think so, Juhani. Slaves get good ideas. Turn slaver on slaver. No, don’t think so.” The Trandoshan shook his head at her evilly. “Now, you come. I drive you back to slave house.” He stood up and opened the door. “Behave, please. You get fed at least.”

Juhani followed the slaver, looking away from him. Repulsed just to see his shadow. “Look on bright side!” he tried keeping her spirts up “Good family may come. Pay us to adopt you. It happen before!” The creature grinned with its sharp reptilian teeth gleaming.

 

**()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()() **()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()****


End file.
